Centrifugal means for admitting air to submarines



- Jan. 13, 1948. Y c. E. BEEMAN 2,434,453

CENTRIFUGAL MEANS FOR ADMITTING AIR TO SUBMARINES 7 Filed July 23, 1946 Patentecl Jan. 13, 1948 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CENTRIFUGALMEANS FOR ADMITTIN G AIR T SUBMARINES Charles E. Beeman, Grand Rapids, Mich.

Application July 23, 1946, Serial No. 685,751

4 Claims. 1

This invention. relates to devices for allowing air to be drawn through the water to a submerged vessel such as a submarine and the li e.

An object of this invention is to provide a device which may be operated by power from within a submerged submarine, to allow air to be drawn to the submarine through the intervening water.

Another object of. the invention is to provide a device which, when installed on a submarine, and rotated, will create a Whirlpool in the water, through the vortex of which air can be drawn into the submarine.

A further object of the invention is to provide an air supply device for submarines, which is simple in design, inexpensive to manufacture, and effective in operation.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following description of a preferred embodiment thereof as illustrated in the accompanying drawings, and in which,

Figure 1 is a plan view of the device,

Figure 2 is a sectional elevation of the device shown in Figure 1, as installed in a sub-marine or the like,

Figure 3 is a transverse sectional view taken on line 3-3 of Figure 2, and

Figure 4 is a sectional elevation in fragment, taken on line 4-4 of Figure 1.

In order to supply air to submerged submarines and the like, it has been a practice to attach a flexible air tube to the submarine, with its upper end connected to and supported by a buoy floating on the surface of the sea above the vessel air being drawn down into the submarine through the air tube. The present invention eliminates the need for use of the air tube and the buoy, these being easily detected from above sea level.

According to the invention, a whirlpool is created between the submarine and the sea level above it, and through the vortex thus created at the center of the whirlpool, air may be drawn into the submarine by means of an air pump located within the submarine.

Referring now to the drawings, in which like reference characters denote similar parts throughout all the views, it is seen that there is a submarine hull wall 2 having an aperture 4 formed therethrough. A hollow cylinder or casing 8 extends through the aperture 4, with its upper end portion 8 tightly fitted into the aperture to make a water-tight seal.

A hollow cylindrical drive shaft l0 extends coaxially through the casing 6, being of a smaller diameter than the casing, and spaced therefrom.

2 Anti-friction bearings l2 and i4 serve to maintain the spacing between the casing 6 and the drive shaft ID, and also allow the shaft'to' rotate freely within the casing.

A pulley wheel i6 is fast on the lower end [8 of the drive shaft H), and a power belt 20 engages around the rim of the pulley Hi to rotate. the shaft It) at a fairly high rate of speed, the belt being coupled to a driven pulley on a motor or other source of power within the submarine.

A rotor disk wheel 22 has an axial bore 24 for the reception of the upper end 26 of the drive shaft I 0, the wheel 22 being fast on and rotatable with the shaft ill. The disk wheel 22 is supported on the hull wall 2 by a thrust bearing 28 therebetween. A cover plate 30 is secured to the disk wheel 22 by means of screws 32, serving to close the otherwise open upper end of the drive shaft A hollow air inlet tube 34 extends upward through the drive shaft l0, being bent at location 36 near the top of the drive shaft to extend through an aperture 38 therein, and through a substantially radial passageway or duct 40 formed in the disk wheel 22. The duct 40 is bent upwards at 42 and the corresponding end 44 of the air inlet tube 34 is there coupled to an air intake fitting 46 which is open at its upper end to allow air to enter therethrough.

The air intake fitting 4B is protected by an inclined hood 48 with an open mouth 50, the lower flanged edges '52 and 54 of the hood being secured to the upper surface of the disk Wheel 22 by means of screws passing therethrough as best seen in Figures 1 and 2. As shown in Figure 1, it will be noted that the apex or junction of the side flanges 52 and 54 of the hood is at 5'6, so that as the disk wheel rotates in the direction of the arrow 58, that is counterclockwise, a whirlpool is created coaxially with the rotating disk wheel 22, with the funnel-like attachment or hood 48 protecting the air suction head fitting 46. The vortex of the Whirlpool created in the water above the rotating disk wheel 22, provides a vertical air passageway down from the water level to the disk wheel 22, which is located on the submarine, and air can easily be drawn down through the air intake fitting 46 and through the air intake tube 34 which is rotating with the disk wheel 22 and the drive shaft ID.

The air intake tube 34 is connected to an air pump within the submarine hull through a nonrotating connecting tube which is coupled to the lower end of the intake tube 34 through a suitable coupling member. The hood 48 pre- 3 vents any water from entering the air intake tube 34.

As an example, the disk 22 may be approximately 2% inches in diameter, the air intake tube and fitting 46 may have an inside diameter of one quarter inch, and the height of the mouth of the hood 48 may be about one-half inch.

With these dimensions, rotation of the disk Wheel at 1800 revolutions per minute drew air downward through the resultant whirlpool vortex when the disk 22 was submerged by about three feet below the sea level. It is apparent that increasing the speed of the disk 22 will permit its use at greater depths.

Although I have described a preferred embodiment of my invention in specific terms, it is to be understood that various changes may be made in size, shape, materials and arrangement without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention claimed.

I claim:

1. An air supply device for use by submerged vessels, comprising means carried on said vessel for rapidly rotating water between the vessel and the water surface substantially about a vertical axis to create a whirlpool with a vortex, and means for drawing air downward through said vortex.

2. An air supply device for use by submerged vessels, comprising rotatable means carried on said vessel for rapidly rotating water above the vessel substantially about a vertical axis to create a whirlpool with a vortex, and means for drawing air downward through said vortex into said vessel.

3. An air supply device for use by submerged vessels, comprising a rotatable disk carried on said vessel for rapidly rotating water above the vessel substantially about a vertical axis to create a whirlpool with a vortex, air inlet means on said disk with its opening displaced from the vertical axis of the disk and means for preventing ingress of water through said air inlet means, whereby air may be drawn downward through the vortex into said submerged vessel.

4. An air supply device for use by submerged vessels, comprising a rotatable disk carried on said vessel for rapidly rotating water above the vessel substantially about a vertical axis to create a whirlpool with a vortex, said disk having an air intake opening in its upper surface and displaced fromthe axis of the disk, a protective hood on said disk over said air intake opening and having an open mouth to allow air to enter, and duct means connected to said air intake opening and connectable at its other end to a pump within said vessel, whereby air may be drawn downward through said vortex into said vessel.

CHARLES E. BEEMAN. 

